This cool new Android tablet is hiding a very big secret
If you know the Poco brand, it’s because of its brightly colored, reasonably priced, often gaming-focused smartphones. Now, the company has branched out into the world of Android tablets with the launch of the Poco Pad. The Poco Pad is a big-screen slate that, despite being only 7.5mm thick, hides a very big secret inside: a whopping 10,000mAh battery for those extended periods when you’re away from the charger.
A battery capacity like this sets it apart from many other Android tablets. The Google Pixel Tablet’s 7,020mAh battery sounds positively small by comparison, and Poco pad’s battery also improves on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9’s 8,400mAh battery — and even the OnePlus Pad’s 9.510mAh cell. To get a larger capacity battery in a tablet, you’ll need to look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus or the pricey Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
The enormous battery powers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor rather than anything more powerful. It’s paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space, plus there’s a MicroSD card slot to add up to an additional 1.5TB of space. Poco doesn’t state how long it expects the battery to last between charges,but does supply a USB-C 33-watt fast charger to top it up when it runs out.
A big screen and lots of accessories
What about using the Poco Pad? The 16:10 aspect ratio screen measures 12.1 inches, making it a seriously large tablet. It has a 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution and a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The screen is covered in Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. Poco has not confirmed what the 571-gram body is made from, but we’ll know more when we get our hands on one. It does come in two colors: gray and blue.
What else? There’s a single 8-megapixel camera on the back with 1080p video recording, plus another 8MP camera on the front for video calls and selfies. There are four speakers on the Poco Pad producing stereo sound, plus support for Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. It’s Xiaomi’s HyperOS interface over Android for the operating system. Finally, Poco has a range of accessories for the Poco Pad, with a basic cover available alongside a keyboard and a stylus.
Poco is known for its good-value mobile products, but at the time of writing, we don’t know how much the Poco Pad will cost. Whatever the eventual price ends up being, it’s up against some serious competition, including the Pixel Tablet and Galaxy Tab S9 series, which dominate the world of Android tablets, plus Apple’s varied and enticing range of iPad models. We’ll update you on the price and availability when we have them.
